JPH0519818A - Digital controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase the applicability of the programmable type digital controller for process control whose control arithmetic function can be adapted to respective control systems by giving the high degree of freedom to the display function and operation function of a panel part and improving the man-machine interface. CONSTITUTION:An internal storage means is provided with a display pattern block 8e which has plural display pattern data and when a user program is generated, display patterns corresponding to respective control arithmetic functions are specified to display necessary display patterns in the information display area and operation name display area of the dot matrix display unit of the panel part consisting of the dot matrix display unit 2 and an operation key group 3 where no fixed name is displayed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital controller,
In particular, it relates to a programmable digital controller with improved man-machine characteristics of the operation / display panel section.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A first conventional example of a programmable digital controller is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-74101. This digital controller is an instrument panel mounting type. The TAG No. is on the front panel. A display unit, a numerical indicator for indicating a PV (process variable) value, an SV (control target) value, and an MV (control output) value with an LED bar graph, and an LED display unit for displaying an alarm state and an operation mode by individual LEDs And an operation key section including an SV setting key, a manual adjustment operation key, and an operation mode switching key, and P
A V / SV scale plate is provided. The circuit section is mainly composed of a digital circuit centering on a microprocessor, and several tens of kinds of calculation blocks including PID calculation are prepared inside the digital controller based on software processing. As the input signal and the output signal, a plurality of signals are set for each of the analog signal and the digital signal.

When applying the above digital controller to a specific control system, the user selects and combines the necessary operation blocks from the prepared operation blocks in order to obtain the control operation function required for the control system. , Create a user program,
Store in user ROM. The function-established digital controller takes in information from the operation keys on the panel and input signals according to user program instructions, performs control calculation, displays the results on the panel, and outputs an output signal. This series of operations is repeated for each calculation cycle.

As a second conventional example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 22870/1990
No. 2 can be cited. This document discloses a peripheral device of a programmable controller. The operation panel section is provided with a plurality of switches and a display section for displaying the functional role of each switch corresponding to each of these switches. I am configuring. When the function of the peripheral device is changed, the functional role of each switch is also changed, and accordingly, the display content of the corresponding display unit is also changed. According to this device configuration, there is an advantage that a limited number of switches can be changed depending on the application and can be effectively used, and that the display is appropriately performed and the operability is excellent.

[0005]

In the prior art, the first digital controller has a high degree of freedom because the control calculation function can be created by the user program. However, the first digital controller has a display function of the panel section for displaying the result. There is a problem in that the degree of freedom in operating functions is low, and even if a user creates a free user program, a satisfactory man-machine characteristic cannot be obtained in terms of display and operation. In other words, while the control calculation function is configured by software processing, the display operation function is a hardware configuration, and a fixed number of LED bar graph indicators, number displays, individual LED displays, and operation keys are provided. , Each of which is arranged at a predetermined and fixed position, and a predetermined name is printed and displayed.

Further, the peripheral device of the second programmable controller enhances the operability by effectively using a small number of switches and enabling the display of the display unit to display the function of each switch for each switch. There is. However, it is necessary to dispose the display unit corresponding to each of the plurality of switches, indicators for each display unit are respectively fixedly disposed in the hardware configuration as an indicator dedicated each switch individually To be done. In this peripheral device, improvement of man-machine property and operability is still insufficient.

[0007] In recent years, with digital controllers, products are becoming more user-oriented, and the above-mentioned problems seriously impede sales expansion of products. In particular, there are various demands such as blinding of the automatic operation key in the PID controller and drastic change of the man-machine part for use as a manual setting device, and it is necessary to meet these demands.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital controller which has a high degree of freedom in the display function and operation function of the panel section and has improved operability.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a digital controller according to the present invention is constructed as follows. 1. A programmable digital controller that includes a control calculation processing unit and a storage unit and that can change the control calculation function to suit a control system to be applied. A dot matrix display and an operation key group on the panel unit. Are provided adjacent to each other, and an operation key name display area corresponding to each operation key of the operation key group is allocated to a part of the dot matrix display and an information display area is allocated to the remaining part, and various kinds of displays are displayed in the storage means. A display pattern block program having a pattern is provided, and when a user program is created, a display pattern required corresponding to the control calculation function is designated and displayed in the information display area and the operation key name display area. . 2. In the first configuration, preferably, each of the operation keys is not displayed, and an operation key name display area is assigned to a position adjacent to the operation key group in the dot matrix display to display the operation key and the operation key name display. It is configured to correspond. 3. In the first configuration, preferably, each operation key is provided with an identification code, and each operation key name display displayed in the operation key name display area is associated with the operation key via the identification code. Is configured as follows. 4. In the second or third configuration, more preferably, an operation key having no corresponding name display in the operation key name display area is configured to be unusable.

[0010]

In the digital controller according to the present invention, the control calculation processing means and the storage means create the control calculation function by the user program so as to be suitable for the control system to be applied, and the display / operation section of the panel section is As a hardware configuration, a dot matrix display and an operation key group are provided adjacent to each other, an operation key name display area corresponding to each operation key of the operation key group is assigned to a part of the dot matrix display, and the rest of the area is provided. In addition to being configured to allocate the information display area, the storage means is provided with a display pattern block program having various kinds of display patterns, and when a user program is created, a display pattern required corresponding to the control calculation function is designated, The necessary display is provided in the information display area and the operation key name display area. With this, when the user creates the user program to obtain the control calculation function required for the control system to be applied, at the same time, the user selects the required display pattern from the display pattern block and specifies it in the user program. RO
It can be stored in M. The display pattern processing is executed based on the user program relating to the control calculation function and the user program relating to the display pattern of the dot matrix display created in this way, and the operation key name display area and information display area of the dot matrix display are operated. The key name and information display pattern are displayed to show a screen equivalent to a conventional digital controller. The operator then enters the operation and shifts to the normal operation of the digital controller.

As described above, the display unit is formed by the dot matrix, the fixed names are not displayed on the operation keys, and the display pattern block for the user program, which is a software process, is provided to allow the user to calculate the control calculation function. The screen can be freely created by the same simple method as selection and designation, and the display operation function is programmable as well as the calculation function, increasing the flexibility of the display function and the operation function.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a digital controller according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration built in the digital controller. The instrument structure of the digital controller is an instrument panel mounting structure housed in a rectangular casing 1. The front surface of the casing 1 serves as a panel surface for display and operation. The dot matrix display 2 and the operation key group 3 are arranged adjacent to each other on this panel surface. The display area of the dot matrix display device 2 is formed of two areas: an operation key name display area 2a and an information display area 2b. In terms of width, the operation key name display area 2a forms a part of the dot matrix display 2, and the other remaining part becomes an information display area 2b. In the illustrated example, the operation key name display area 2a is assigned to the right side portion of the dot matrix display 2, that is, the side in contact with the operation key group 3, and the information display area 2b is assigned to the wide portion on the left side. . In the operation key group 3, a plurality of operation keys 3a are arranged in a vertical line.
In this embodiment, each operation key 3a is not given a name relating to a functional role. That is, each operation key 3a is not displayed. The arrangement of the operation keys 3a in the operation key group 3 is
For example, it can be arranged in the lower lateral direction.

The internal structure of the digital controller is as shown in FIG. Reference numerals 2 and 3 respectively indicate the dot matrix display and the operation key group in blocks. Reference numeral 4 is an input terminal portion, and 5 is an output terminal portion, each of which has a configuration capable of inputting or outputting a plurality of analog signals and digital signals. 6 is a multiplexer and A / D
An input processing unit including a conversion circuit and the like, and an output processing unit 7 including a D / A conversion circuit and the like. An arithmetic processing unit 8 including a CPU 8a, an internal memory 8b, and a user ROM 8c for a removable user program memory mounted from the side of the instrument is arranged in the central portion. In FIG. 1, the user ROM 8c is indicated by a broken line on the side surface of the casing 1. In the internal memory 8b, there are several tens of kinds of calculation blocks 8d used to obtain a control calculation function, and a display pattern block 8e having many kinds of display patterns used to obtain a display pattern on the panel surface and operation key names. It is stored. A display drive unit 9 is arranged between the arithmetic processing unit 8 and the dot matrix display 2.

In the above structure, various signals of input signals and operation signals generated from the input terminal section 4 and the operation key group 3 are inputted to the arithmetic processing section 8 through the input processing section 6. The input data is arithmetically processed according to the program stored in the user ROM 8c to generate required data. The data generated by the arithmetic processing unit 8 is transmitted to the output terminal unit 5 via the output processing unit 7 as necessary and output as an analog signal or a digital signal.
Further, among the data generated by the arithmetic processing unit 8, the data that needs to be displayed in the information display area 2b of the dot matrix display 2, and the operation key designated as the usage target of the manipulation key group 3 in the designated control. And the data for displaying the instruction and the name in the operation key name display area are transmitted from the arithmetic processing unit 8 to the dot matrix display 2 via the display drive unit 9.

FIG. 3 shows an operation flow chart of the digital controller having the above-mentioned configuration. When the power is turned on, the digital controller first executes the initial processing 11 according to the program in the internal memory 8b. Next, the display pattern number of the user program 18 stored in the user ROM 8c is confirmed, and the display pattern processing 12 of the corresponding display pattern block 8e is executed. The display drive unit 9 receives the result from the arithmetic processing unit 8 and displays it on the operation key name display area 2a and the information display area 2b of the dot matrix display 2. When the display screen of the panel section of the digital controller is established, the operator sets the mode, control target value, and the like. In the digital controller, subsequently, a key input process 13 for fetching information given by the operator with the operation key group 3 from the input processing unit 6 and an input signal process 14 for fetching information entering the input terminal unit 4 from the input processing unit 6 Is done. Next, enter the information ROM into the user ROM
The control / arithmetic processing 15 of the arithmetic block 8d designated by the user program 18 in 8c is sequentially executed, and the output data obtained as a result is subjected to the data display processing 16 and the output signal processing 17. In the data display processing 16, the output data is sent to the display drive section 9 to display the data in the information display area 2b, and in the output signal processing 17, the output data is output to the output terminal section 5 via the output processing section 7. Then, the processing steps 13 to 17 are repeated in response to the operation of the operation key 3a by the operator.

In the above operation flow, display pattern processing 1
In 2, the operator arbitrarily selects any one of various display patterns according to the purpose of use of the digital controller, whereby the display screen of the dot matrix display 2 is established. At this time, in the operation key name display area 2a, a name clarifying the functional role of the operation key is displayed at a position adjacent to an arbitrary number of operation keys to be used in the operation key group 3. Therefore, in the operation key group 3 and the operation key name display area 2a, the operation key is determined by the positional correspondence relationship between the displayed operation key name.
After that, the operator operates using only the operation keys provided with the operation key name display. And for the operation keys for which the operation key name is not displayed,
It is configured to be unusable so that no operation signal is generated.

FIG. 4 shows a display pattern example of a control screen of the digital controller according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 shows a display pattern example of a manual adjustment screen of the digital controller according to the present embodiment. In the user program 18, the type of screen as shown in FIG. 4 or 5 is designated by the display pattern number. At the same time, the common TAG No. It is also possible to specify the scale, scale, and unit. Further, as described above, when the operation mode C is not used among the operation keys on the screen of FIG. 4, the character C is used.
It is also possible to correct not to display. As described above, the non-displayed operation keys in the operation key name display area 2a are locked so that they cannot be taken in as input data even if they are pressed by mistake.

Further, the digital controller as in this embodiment has an EEPROM or a battery inside in order to protect various parameters normally set by the operator in case of power failure. Therefore, once the display screen is set, the data is protected even if the power is turned off, and there is no need to reset the display screen. Further, since the operation key group 3 is arranged on the right side of the display screen like a general digital controller, and the name is displayed in the adjacent operation key name display area 2a of the dot matrix display 2, it is different from the conventional product. You can operate with the same image,
It does not reduce operability.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the operation / display unit of the panel unit is composed of the dot matrix display 2 and the operation key group 3 which does not display the fixed name, and is for the user program which is the software processing. By providing multiple types of display pattern blocks, the user can specify the display pattern when creating the control calculation function using the same simple method as selecting and specifying the calculation block, allowing the screen to be created freely and displaying the same as the control calculation function. -The operation function is also programmable, and a high degree of freedom can be obtained for the display function and the operation function.

In the present invention, the following modified embodiments can be considered. In the above-described embodiment, the operation key name display area 2a is assigned to be adjacent to the operation key group 3 in the dot matrix display 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the operation key name display area 2a can be assigned to an arbitrary portion of the dot matrix display 2. In this case, since it is not possible to establish a correspondence relationship between adjacent positional relationships, it is necessary to attach an identification code to each operation key and establish a correspondence relationship via this identification code.

Also, the operation key group 3 itself can be configured to be provided by the display means instead of the fixed operation key switch. In this case, each of the displayed operation key switches is configured to be displayed with its function role. Then, it is possible to display only operation keys required for measurement control and not display unnecessary operation keys. In this case, if the displayed operation keys are concentratedly displayed on a part of the display scene, there is an advantage that a large information display area can be secured.

[0022]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention has the following effects. Since the display screen and the operation key name can be specified by the user program, the display operation function becomes programmable as well as the control calculation function, and the applicability to the control system of the product becomes high and the man-machine characteristic can be improved.

For the same reason, the user may purchase a large number of one type of product and finish it into a product having necessary functions and screens, which has high compatibility and maintainability.

It is also possible to specify a user program by the maker and use it in such a manner that the user ROM is not disclosed to the user. In this case, the manufacturer can manufacture one type of product and sell it with different display screens. Thereby, the productivity, profitability, stockability, and serviceability of the manufacturer can be improved.

Since the display screen is a dot matrix, the TAG No. , Scale scale, unit, etc. can be specified and displayed by the user side, making it unnecessary to create a dedicated plate at the maker as in the past, shortening the delivery time of products, reducing cost, and saving labor and cost for changing specifications .

When the screen structure of the panel unit is composed of only the dot matrix display and the non-display operation key group, the structure becomes simple and the cost of the product can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a digital controller according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electric circuit incorporated in the digital controller according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation process.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first example of a display pattern of a panel section.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a second example of a display pattern on the panel unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Arithmetic processing section 2 dot matrix display 2a Operation key name display area 2b Information display area 3 operation keys 3a Operation key 8 Arithmetic processing section 8a CPU 8b internal memory 8c User ROM 8d operation block 8e Display pattern block

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A control calculation processing means and a storage means are provided,
In a programmable digital controller capable of changing a control calculation function so as to suit a control system to be applied, a dot matrix display and an operation key group are provided adjacent to each other on a panel part, and the operation is performed on a part of the dot matrix display. An operation key name display area corresponding to each operation key of the key group is assigned and an information display area is assigned to the remaining part, and the storage means is provided with a display pattern block program having various kinds of display patterns, and at the time of creating a user program. A digital controller characterized in that a display pattern required corresponding to the control calculation function is designated and displayed in the information display area and the operation key name display area. 2. The digital controller according to claim 1, wherein each of the operation keys is non-displayed, and the operation key name display area is assigned to a location adjacent to the operation key group in the dot matrix display. A digital controller characterized in that the operation key and the operation key name display are associated with each other. 3. The digital controller according to claim 1, wherein each of the operation keys is provided with an identification code, and each operation key name displayed in the operation key name display area is displayed through the identification code. A digital controller, wherein the operation key is associated with the operation key. 4. The digital controller according to claim 2, wherein an operation key having no corresponding name display in the operation key name display area cannot be used.